//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Geata na Déithe // by LinktheLazy //------------------------------// I own nothing, if you sue all you'll get is this cellphone. (Unedited) - Chapter 5 Mirai shoveled another spoonful of tasty mush into her mouth as she sat on the floor, eyes locked with the steady gaze of Princess Luna. The Equestrian Princess was sitting across the hospital room by the door and stubbornly refusing to let her leave. It had already been a whole day since the ponies she escorted into the forest outside of town awakened some ancient artifacts and defeated an evil goddess... or the evil part of a goddess… or a demon… or something. Whatever they had done, the ‘results’ of that were now insisting that they personally oversee the recovery of those they had harmed before their ‘return’. Mirai scraped the last bit of mush, something the ponies called oatmeal, out of her tray and sat it on the knee high stack of trays next to her. The mint colored unicorn sitting in the bed closer to Luna’s side of the room looked at her incredulously. What? You try regenerating a fist sized hole through your torso and not being hungry afterwards. “Stupid Spike and his stupid… stupidness.” Mirai fumed as she ate the last spoon of oatmeal. If only his blabbering hadn’t got her stuck here for an entire day. Just thinking of how many hours she had lost to pony hysteria because he had caved the instant Twilight had looked at him funny made her feel a little sick inside. Granted she was telling them she was fine with her clothes drenched with blood... but it was still his fault. “Are you done?” Luna asked pointing a wing at her stack of trays. Mirai kept her eyes exactly where they were, she refused to be distracted by simple gestures. “Yes,” she replied. Mirai had probably spent the last twelve hours fending off attempts at conversation from Luna, or the other pony in the room, and was far beyond ready to get away and get on with her mission. Luna’s horn lit up and the trays vanished into thin air. Mirai flinched a little at the bright flash but managed to keep her eyes on Luna. “You still fear me,” Luna said with a sorrowful lilt to her voice. “We have apologized many times and only wish to ensure your wellbeing. We understand you are uncomfortable but surely treating us like we will attack you at any moment is excessively cautious?” Mirai shook her head with only the smallest of motions. There was no way she was letting her guard down, she had run into far too many enemies cunning enough to play dead until they could escape or stab her in the back… Then again Celestia seemed to be fine with Luna… more than fine really. You’d think a goddess wouldn't tolerate an obvious threat to their power. Unless they were focusing on longer term goals, like trying to get Luna to reveal she was still evil so she could be disposed of without fuss from the populace. “Psst.” Luna seemed ok on the surface but trusting Celestia meant trusting a foreign deity and Mirai was just not comfortable with risking everything on the word of a god. “Pssssssssssst.” Mirai carefully adjusted her eyes until she could look at the mint unicorn while also keeping Luna firmly in sight. “What?” she hissed at Lyra. Now this was the pony that had made her stay in the hospital unbearable. She could deal with being watched by Luna like a crippled animal being toyed with by a playful predator but having to deal with Lyra’s insanity in addition was totally out of the question. She didn’t even know why Lyra was still here, she had healed the scratches and the broken bones herself. Why didn’t the doctors kick her out if she was healed? Was this ‘Princess Luna’ keeping her captive as well? “How do you even understand her?” Lyra asked in a loud whisper. Mirai didn’t know why she bothered, it was obvious Luna could hear her by the way she crossed her hooves and looked annoyed. “Translation spell,” Mirai said before quickly readjusting her sight to fully rest on Luna. Could the ponies not understand their own goddess? “Truly?” Luna asked looking surprised. “You must be from very faraway if you do not speak Equestrian at all.” Mirai nodded slightly, flinching back as a frown came to Luna’s face. “Just talk to us!” Luna said, her volume rising. “We no longer mean you any harm so there is no need to fear.” It seemed her refusal to speak in more than clipped phrases was becoming irritating to Princess Luna. “This is not about any harm you’ve done me,” Mirai said evenly. She would really really rather be anywhere else besides sitting in front of a deity who was displeased with her and she cursed those ponies who had forced her here. Mirai could see the faint glimmers of frustrated tears gathering in Luna’s eyes and that fact scared her deeply. “Then what is your grievance with me? Allow me the chance to dispel it!” Luna pleaded, doing a good job at controlling the emotion in her voice. She had actually gotten a goddess to cry? Was Luna just acting to trick her or was she really only moments away from death by smiting? A faint mint flash came from the edge of the room as the second pony in the room cast something. “Sorry!” Lyra whispered. “But I didn’t want to miss out on what you are saying.” Mirai tried hard not to crack, she really did, but the weight of recent events finally pushed her over the edge and she sighed a mighty sigh before leaning back against the wall. “Fine,” Mirai said. “How do I know you’re really not evil anymore? Everything I know about gods says they are not easy beings to harm and the notion that some outside entity somehow possessed you just sounds dumb. So how do I trust you? You aren’t my goddess, so why would you tell the truth? Why would you even be concerned about my wellbeing?” Luna looked at her and an understanding seemed to dawn on her face. “Please forgive me,” Luna said, running a hoof over her eyes to dry her tears. “I have gravely misunderstood the situation.” “You have?” Lyra chimed in. “She just sounds like she’s being mean to me. Celestia already said you were back to yourself and not evil anymore.” Luna held up a hoof silencing Lyra. “That may be so, but what cause does she have for trusting me? She had not met a pony before a few days ago let alone heard of the beings who moved the heavens.” Mirai was more than a little apprehensive that Luna had already been told about her… or knew about her ‘because goddess’ either one was bad news. Luna nodded to herself. “Fine, then we must win your forgiveness in the proper manner! We have grown too used to being recognized and have forgotten what it is like to need to win a heart.” Well, she seemed to be happier at least. “You wish to leave yes?” Luna said gesturing with a hoof to the door next to her. Mirai perked up, that was exactly what she wanted. “Then go with our blessing. We are satisfied that you no longer ail so there remains no reason to keep you here.” Luna stepped to the side away from the door prompting a grin to spread across Mirai’s face. She very nearly hopped to her feet and dashed out the door if it wasn’t for one little, tiny, infinitesimally small detail she had forgotten. The ponies had confiscated her clothes. Mirai let out a squeal and fell back to the floor returning to her curled up stance. “What’s the matter?” Luna asked, her expression turning to one of concern. “Are you still hurt? You shouldn’t leave if you are still in pain.” Mirai tried not to glare at Luna she really did. “No! No, just… cultural differences,” Mirai muttered as she grabbed the corner of the sheet from the nearby unused hospital bed. She tugged at it till it came free and fell onto the floor along with the pillow. With a few deft motions and some embarrassing shimmying she finally managed to wrap the sheet around her as a makeshift garment. “There!” Mirai said as she jumped to her feet and started towards the door. Lyra and Luna both glanced at each other in confusion but that was beyond Mirai’s concern at the moment as she fought the urge to cheer as she made it out into the hall. The interior of the hospital was unlike anything Mirai had ever seen. It was clean and sleek, the floors were made of some kind of perfectly polished stone and the walls were perfectly flat plaster. Magical lights were recessed into the ceiling lighting her path as she walked, it was all very impressive. The hallways seemed mostly deserted except for an occasional pony either injured or caring for the injured and she took extra care to keep out of sight as she walked. After ducking into an empty room for a moment to avoid a pony in a white coat she pushed open a pair of double doors and saw the light of day shining from the strange glass auto-doors that led outside. Mirai glanced around the room looking for any chance to pass by unnoticed, but the room was filled with ponies sitting on benches or chairs. Seeing no realistic way to sneak by Mirai walked out into the room bold as brass. Maybe if she acted like she knew exactly what she was doing nobody would care about her leaving? The ponies in the room all stopped what they were doing to stare at her as she hurried along and an angry nurse rounded on her before she even got halfway through the lobby. “What do you think you're doing?” the pale mare said as she stomped out from behind her desk. “You haven’t been released yet!” The assembled ponies turned to watch as the nurse blocked her path. Murmurs and snickering could be heard as Mirai tried to walk around only to be blocked by the nurse again and again. “Luna said I could go!” Mirai said as a quick feint tricked the nurse and she made a mad dash for the door. The nurse galloped after her but was far too late. Mirai slipped out the door and quickly vanished among the vegetation that lined the road outside. “And where do you think you’re going with that sheet? Thats hospital property!” she shouted to nobody but the wind. “I’ll pay you back!” the wind whispered in return. Back inside the hospital room Lyra turned to look at Princess Luna who had watched the nurse shouting at nothing. “Sooo, are you going to follow her?” She asked, clopping her front hooves together in excitement. Luna stepped down from the window and turned a harsh look on Lyra. “One must give trust in order to be trusted in turn.” “Soooo... is that a yes?” “Well... I am curious...” Mirai slipped into an alley near the town center and paused to ensure she wasn’t being followed. Once she was satisfied she stepped deeper into the gap and looked around. The alley was home to some piles of refuse but otherwise empty, perfect for a short rest. She sat down on the cobbled floor and began to hash out a plan. Ok first things first, I need more help. Mirai thought These ponies are masters at delay and distraction and if they manage to waylay me again it could be... bad... Mirai muttered dirty words under her breath as the thought of I need something more dependable! Mirai stood and cast another look around the alley. There were a few metal cans that seemed to hold some of the more... fragrant... mess but she wanted to avoid stealing those, cleaning them would be too much hassle. A quick dig through the piles of refuse revealed some more useful things: six small U shaped iron objects and a handful of nails. All of them were badly rusted, but she was going to melt them down anyway. She wrapped the precious raw material in a fold of the sheet she was wearing and turned her attention to the next problem. Now I just have to get my tools back. Mirai peaked her head out of the alley and watched the town’s population pass by, going about their daily business. As she stepped out into the flow of traffic some of the ponies goggled at her, a few waved, and even fewer hid in whatever places were available. She barely had time to turn in the direction of the library where she remembered her pack was waiting when shouting from just behind stopped her. “Hey! You're supposed to be in the hospital!” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered just over her head. “Oh, Rainbow Dash,” Mirai said flatly. “Luna finally let me leave.” With another quick glance around Mirai started walking towards the tree that housed the library and left Dash in the dust. “Hey, where are you going!” Rainbow Dash called from where Mirai had left her. “I was talking to you!” Mirai shook her head and sighed in frustration when she heard the sound of wingbeats over her shoulder. “I’m going to the library, Twilight has my stuff,” she said, hoping the pegasus would leave her alone if she told her what was going on. “Oh,” Rainbow said as she hovered along behind her. “Rarity has your... other stuff.” “You mean my clothes?” Mirai asked, turning an annoyed look on Rainbow and gathering up the sheet that was starting to drag on the ground to wrap it more firmly around her body. “I guess I’ll go there after getting my pack from Twilight.” “Hey, listen...” Rainbow Dash muttered hesitantly as she drifted around in front of her. “I wanted to say thanks... you know, for helping us.” Mirai raised an eyebrow at Rainbow and her nervous smile. “Don't worry about it.” Mirai waved a hand dismissively. “But didn't you almost die?” Rainbow asked with wide eyes. Mirai slowed to a stop as she looked askance at Rainbow. “Well yeah but that's kind of typical. We even stopped an evil goddess, honestly I’m surprised everyone made it out alive. Especially considering I was the only one who wasn’t a rookie.” One of a pair of unnoticed, ownerless, shadows twitched. “Hey Rainbow Dash is not a rookie,” she said doing a flip in place. Mirai’s face was the very picture of deadpan. “Oh really, then you are no stranger to delving into dangerous ruins and killing evil monsters?” Rainbows eyes glanced around nervously. “Oh yeah... sure... do that every week end.” It didn't take much effort on Mirai’s part to see the lie for what it was. “Mmhmm.” Mirai crossed her arms and focused her best unimpressed look on Rainbow. “Ok that was a lie,” Rainbow admitted landing on the ground and pointing at Mirai. “But who says I believe you either? If you have so much ‘experience’ you’d have stories to back it up right?” Mirai raised an eyebrow before stepping around Rainbow and continuing on her way. When the mare lifted off to follow her Mirai shook her head in exasperation. “Sure I have stories,” Mirai said with a sigh. “Then lay it on me!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, swooping around Mirai in tight circles that made her hair and sheet flutter in the wind. The shadows also leaned in a bit closer as they followed closely behind. “Fine,” Mirai muttered. “There was the one time we went looking for this enclave of elves that had carved a bunch of messages for help in rocks we came across in the wastes...” Twilight was relaxing on the couch in the corner of her new home. The book she was avidly devouring sat on her forehooves and her horn would occasionally light up as she flipped a page. The sound of the bell on the front door jinggling caught her attention and she turned to see Mirai and Rainbow Dash stepping into the room. “And when the troll broke through the wall with me and Princess Assa in either hand, Fearghal was waiting for it and set its face on fire!” “Woah, that’s awesome!” Rainbow did a flip in place with all the enthusiasm of a filly. Mirai was grinning and enjoying her storytelling before her face evened out as she looked around the room. Twilight pulled herself up from the couch and shot a glare at Mirai. “What are you doing out of the hospital?” she asked as she pointed an accusing hoof at Mirai. “The doctor said you were going to be days before you were better!” Mirai’s face fell into a frown as she muttered under her breath before stepping forward to stand in front of Twilight. “I’m I life mage, remember?” she said, pointing to herself. “I recover from almost anything with a bit of magic. Besides, Luna said I could go.” Twilight looked conflicted, raising a hoof in uncertainty. “Well... If Luna said it was ok then I guess it’s fine. I’ll have to tell Pinkie you’re out early though, she wanted to see you.” “Great!” Mirai said grin returning to her face as she pointedly ignored the idea of needing to talk to Pinkie. “Now do you have my stuff?” Twilight nodded and pointed up toward the ceiling. “Yes I put it upstairs after I got back. I’ll go get it.” It only took a moment for Twilight to trot up the stairs and return with Mirai's pack held in a purple glow. “Here you go,” said Twilight as she set the bag at Mirai's feet. Mirai bent and rifled through it for a moment before pulling out another smaller bag. “Ah Ha!” Mirai cried as she opened the bag to check its contents. Rainbow Dash and Twilight both craned their necks to get a look, curious of what Mirai could be so excited about. Before either pony got a decent peek however Mirai turned and bolted out of the door leaving the rest of her pack behind. Dash and Twilight shared a glance before scrambling out of the door to follow. When they got outside they looked around for a minute hoping to see Mirai but it was the sound of metal scraping against rock that alerted them to her location. When they found her she was hunched over the large rock that was half buried behind Twilight’s tree with some strange metal objects in her hands. The pair watched her as they slowly crept up and was surprised to see the careful carvings that were scratched from the stone. “Is that some kinda weird star?” Rainbow muttered as she took flight to get a better look. “Looks more like some kind of animal, like a crab or a spider.” Twilight said as she sat down next to Mirai. Mirai shot the two a look but stayed silent as she started carving patterns of tightly woven characters around the spider like center. She was apparently very skilled at what she was doing because she stood up and announced that she was done after only a few minutes. “Finished!” Mirai said with a grin. “Great... Finished with what exactly?” Dash muttered as she drifted overhead. “This...” Twilight muttered as she looked over the odd patterns, “I haven't got any idea what this is.” “Runes” Mirai said as she pulled out the rusted iron objects from her sheet and placed them in the inverted bowl like structure in the middle. Both the ponies jerked in surprise when Mirai ran her hand over the carved symbols and the crab shaped indention lit up with a sudden burst of intense heat. The horseshoes on top of the indention began to glow red and then almost white as they heated and liquefied. “But...” Twilight muttered as she shielded her eyes from the light being put off from the glowing metal. “How? The melting temperature of stone is four hundred degrees lower than that of iron!” Mirai just grinned and waited for the magic to run out of the runes. After a few minutes the heat began to wane and the white glow faded. When the metal was finally cool Mirai used the tip of one of her tools to pry the strange lump of iron out of the rock. She waited a few minutes for it to become comfortable to hold before cleaning it with the end of her sheet. The pair of ponies watched as she finally set the finished product onto the stone next to the indent where it was forged. It was a bowl, as big around as a hoof with eight spindly leg-like spikes sticking straight out from the body. The tool Mirai had used to carve the stone came out again and she used it to began filling the exterior space with more tightly knit symbols and shapes. This part took a lot longer than the previous and by the time Mirai announced her work’s completion Rainbow Dash had retreated to a nearby tree branch where she snoozed the time away. Twilight had stayed very close and taken so many notes she could have probably written a book. It would have been a shame if she had ruined them when she toppled her ink pot in surprise when the Crab-Bowl suddenly jerked to life in Mirai’s hands. “There we are,” Mirai said, placing the thing on the ground. Rainbow Dash glanced over from her resting place as the suddenly animate object scuttled around and bumped into things. “Why's it so... stupid?” She asked, turning over to watch the thing fumble around blindly. “You made a golem?” Twilight asked curiously, her quill scratching on the paper floating behind her. “Couldn't you have just used a ‘come-to-life’ spell after you were done making the physical form?” Mirai shrugged. “I haven’t heard of that spell yet but unless it's self-perpetuating then I can safely say that my method is better.” She pointed to some of the various bits of symbols. “This can drain ambient magic to power itself and by carving the spell into the object It can persist until something destroys the inscriptions.” Twilight leaned in to look, riveted by the new information. “Yeah but, why’s it stupid?” Rainbow Dash asked again as the golem flipped itself onto its back and waved its legs in the air. She glanced around for a moment to check if anypony was watching before batting at it with a hoof, flipping it back over. “It’s not stupid,” Mirai grumbled as she pulled out her carving tool and made a few more marks in the random rock turned forge. “I just haven't finished setting it up yet.” When she was done with that Mirai held her hand to the new symbols on the rock, lighting them up in a faint blue glow. The wandering golem immediately stopped in its tracks and began making a beeline into some taller grass at the edge of town. “I just had to give it it’s objective.” Rainbow Dash held a hoof up to her eyes to watch the tall grass part and sway as the golem moved through it. “Well, whatever you told it to do, its gone now.” “And what objective did you give it?” Twilight asked, floating pen poised over floating paper. “Mining,” Mirai said, packing up her tools. “It’s going to try and find some easy metal deposits it can bring back to this rock here.” She tapped the rock with her knuckles. “Then maybe I can build some ‘real’ assistants.” Twilight frowned as she scribbled in her notes. “Assistants for what?” Twilight asked after a moment. “What could you possibly need golem assistants for?” Mirai froze, caught off guard by the question. “Umm... Ya’know... surveys... and stuff.” “Well this got boring...” Rainbow Dash muttered before pushing herself back into the air. “I’m going to go see what Pinkie is up to.” Mirai waved as Dash vanished in a burst of speed, thankful for the distraction. “Well I’m hungry, so how about some lunch?” Mirai said nervously as she walked quickly into Twilight's new house. Nearby one of the ownerless shadows fell over. A few minutes later once she was certain that they could not be seen Luna dispelled the spell hiding herself and Lyra. “Can you believe that!?” Lyra said as the shadow that hid her finally dissipated. “How much does she eat!?” “I am more concerned about the tale she told to Loyalty.” Luna muttered with a contemplative frown. “Surely my sister has not allowed such tragedies to befall an entire kingdom in my absence.” Lyra leaned back with a sad look on her face. “You mean that story was supposed to be real? I thought she was just telling Rainbow Dash an adventure story.” “Neigh.” Luna said with a wave of a hoof. “Did you not hear their conversation? It was meant to be a tale of Mirai’s prowess.” Lyra began to fidget and glance around for unseen dangers. “But she said that she found a whole village killed by those troll things.” “That is why I worry.” Luna nodded and peaked around the bushes they were hiding behind to try and see into Twilight’s home though the other side of the window displayed no activity. “The outbreak of creatures she described would be devastating and not only to Mirai’s people but also to any place they managed to spread. The Celestia I knew would not have allowed their existence and surely would have banished them to Tartarus.” “But it still could have just been a story... right?” Lyra asked uncertainly. The idea of monsters just showing up and murdering everypony she knew was not a pleasant one. Luna nodded. “It's true, it still could just be a tale spun for entertainment but even so I believe I have much scrying to do come nightfall.” Luna turned to leave but an errant thought caused her to stop and look back towards Lyra. “As for her creations, I would prefer if they didn't go unwatched.” Lyra looked at her with a vacant expression before the words clicked in her mind. “Oh, yes princess!” She said with a slightly goofy salute. “I’ll keep a close eye on them.” Luna nodded in thanks as she spread her wings and took to the air. “Honestly, who keeps only grass and flowers to eat.” Mirai muttered darkly as she stalked around Ponyville’s market square. “She lives with a dragon! Don't tell me Spike enjoys grass with those pointy teeth.” Twilight, while successfully diverted from pressing for too much information hadn’t had anything worth eating in her house. The food from the hospital had been fine but it was hardly the kind of thing she really needed to properly bounce back from that much physical trauma. So here she was stalking the market without any gold to her name and still hungry. An empty cart caught her attention. It apparently had been abandoned in a rush because not only was the cart left behind but it was still filled with those delicious fruits that Applejack’s family grew. In fact the cart appeared to belong to the Apple family as the carved apple motif and the words ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ was present here and there. As she neared the sweet scent of the fruits sent her stomach grumbling and a small paper sign that said “Out for family emergency- Honor System” that was perched on the top came into view. Mirai glanced around to make sure to check if she was being watched before swiping a few apples and stuffing them in her pack. Surely a prosperous family like the Apples appeared to be could feed one starving elf? With her ill gotten gains secured Mirai made sure to look casual as she walked away from the cart and turned down a nearby alley. When she was reasonably certain none of the ponies could see her she retrieved an apple from her pack and took a bite. It was as sweet and wonderful as she remembered from the first time she had tasted one and the taste combined with her hunger ensured that the apple wasn't long for this world. Eogan didn't have many fruits that were safe to eat and neither did they have any easy way to get sugar. So the seemingly plentiful sweet food was a little overwhelming and more than a little tempting. With the apple done for Mirai spat out a few little brown seeds, one of which she picked up to examine. Wonder what a fruit treant would be like? Mirai thought. An experiment for later. She tucked the few seeds into a fold of the sheet she was wearing and exited the other side of the alley. With her stomach satiated for the moment Mirai looked up and down the street. Various pony homes lined the well manicured road. Each with thatched roofs and brightly colored exteriors. If it wasn't for the sheer cleanliness of the scene it might have looked a little like Aran. One building stood out from the others, it’s gaudy decorations making it stand out just as much as the road which made a complete circle around it. The windows revealed strange pony garments on displays and it was that detail that clicked in Mirai’s mind. Rarity was a tailor and this was obviously a clothing shop. I can swing by and get my stuff as long as this is the right place. Mirai hurried up to the door and gently rapped on the wooden frame. A familiar voice called “Come in!” Mirai opened the door and stepped inside. The interior of the shop was even more gaudy than the outside but Mirai only had eyes for the unicorn that was setting out some of her inventory. Rarity turned to greet her customer only to find Mirai waiting just inside the door. “Oh hello Mirai darling!” Rarity said as she sat her work aside. “I was under the impression you would be in the hospital for a few days, what changed?” Mirai rolled her eyes at having to explain this for a third time. “I can heal myself with magic and Luna let me out.” “That's Princess Luna darling.” Rarity corrected her. “Someone as prestigious as an ambassador must maintain proper decorum.” If Mirai rolled her eyes any harder she was concerned they might pop out and roll across the floor. “Sorry, but I’ve had to explain that to everyone I've met today.” “My apologies but it’s just so unexpected.” Rarity said, tucking her hair over her shoulder with a hoof. Mirai shrugged. “In any case Rainbow Dash mentioned you had my clothes?” “Ah, of course I do, forgive me for making you stand there in that... that... Is that a sheet!?” Rarity shouted as she started to look unsteady on her hooves. “A... dirty... sheet...” Her voice had fallen to a quiet squeak that had the hair on the back of Mirai’s neck standing up. “No! Nonono, absolutely not! I refuse to allow you to keep wearing that dirty thing!” With a yank of her magic the sheet that covered Mirai unraveled and spilled the items she had tucked away, the nails she hadn’t used and the apple seeds. It also left Mirai bare to the world. “Rarity!” Mirai shouted angrily and did her best to cover herself. “Just a moment darling and I have something in the works far more appropriate for an ambassador!” Rarity said as she pranced away to a back room. “Rarity? Is someone out there?” A voice floated out of the kitchen. Mirai froze in horror, she knew that voice. Small footsteps confirmed her fears and in desperation Mirai lunged behind a mannequin. Spike entered the room and looked around, confused before spotting her hiding behind the strange pony shaped display. “Mirai!” Spike said excitedly as he took off running toward her. Mirai ‘eeped’ in fear before holding out her hands. “STOP!” She shouted just as Spike neared the display. To her infinite relief Spike came to a stop just on the other side of the mannequin. “I thought you were still in the hospital Mirai!” Spike said happily. “Magic healing, Luna let me go.” Mirai muttered as her teeth clenched and her heart hammered in her chest. “What are you hiding behind there for?” Spike asked, head cocking to the side in curiosity. “Because I haven't got any clothes.” Mirai said through her clamped jaw. “Rarity took mine.” Spike’s claw found his chin as he pondered the situation finally after a few minutes of getting nowhere he just shrugged. “So? I haven't got any clothes either, neither do most ponies.” Mirai stared at him, a long cold glare that made his bones feel an unnatural chill. “Uh, on second thought I think Rarity may have some of your old clothes around here somewhere.” Spike scampered off and vanished into the same back room that Rarity had gone to. Mirai sighed and tried to think happy thoughts... No not the ones about strangling a certain unicorn, the other more normal happy thoughts. “Here you go Mirai!” Came Spike’s boyish voice as he returned with her blood stained tunic and pants in hand. The bundle of cloth was tossed over the top of her hiding place and quickly donned by a very relieved Mirai. “Thanks Spike.” Mirai said, finally stepping out from her hiding place. With a grace born of years of adventuring she bent down and snatched up the little dragon, smothering him in a warm hug. Spike blushed in embarrassment and cleared his throat. “*ahem* Your welcome, now can you put me down before anypony sees?” A mischievous grin that stretched across Mirai’s face. “Hmm, I don’t know... It was your fault I ended up trapped in a hospital with a goddess for a whole day and I’m still mad at you for that.” Sweat broke out on Spike’s face as she held him. “Oh come on, that wasn’t my fault!” He whined. He had been a first hand witness to Mirai’s casual brutality and he was in no way eager to become a target. “I’m sorry ok? I didn't know they were going to freak out!” Mirai frowned at him thoughtfully before letting him down. “Well ok, but next time I tell you to keep something to yourself I expect you to do it.” Spike replied with a thumbs up and a nervous grin. “Now,” Mirai said, straightening her patched tunic. “I believe I have some stuff to retrieve.” Mirai made to storm into the back room when Spike jumped in front of her. “Woah, hang on a minute!” Spike shouted. “You really don't want to interrupt Rarity when she's back there.” Mirai raised an eyebrow. “Why not?” Spike glanced nervously behind him. “She gets scary when she’s interrupted. I just hope she doesn't notice I took those clothes back. I think she might have been using them for something.” “Spike?” The voice of a certain unicorn called from the back room. The sound of hooves soon followed as Rarity emerged from her ‘cave’. “Have you seen my patterns I want to check them one last-” Rarity froze when she spotted Spike and Mirai standing in her showroom though her eyes immediately locked onto Mirai wearing her old stained clothes. “No! No! No! You cannot be seen wearing those old, dirty things I will not allow it!” As Rarity’s horn lit up a loud ‘thunk’ echoed through the room, a slight glance downward revealed a sharp tool embedded in the floor only bare inches away from her hooves. If Rarity hadn’t been snow white she might’ve paled. Mirai took a menacing step forward with a furious expression on her face. “If you ever undress me without permission again you might lose more than just a business partner.” That had almost been the third time being undressed against her will in the past two days, once a day was more than enough. Spike’s eyes were wide open in shock and he babbled slightly as he glanced between the two of them. Rarity swallowed and laughed nervously. “Oh forgive me, I, um, didn't know it was such a hang up for you darling.” Mirai took another step forward and pulled the tool out of the floor. She nodded and returned it to a pouch on her pack. “It’s fine, just don't do it again.” Rarity nodded vigorously before looking over her shoulder nervously. “I hope you don't mind but I made you a few articles to replace the ones you damaged helping us with that dreadful business in the Everfree.” Her horn lit up again and several new pieces of fabric floated out from the back room and deposited themselves in Mirai’s hands. Mirai held up the new tunic and pants with curiosity. They were much like her old ones but strangely shiny and with an odd texture that felt almost watery between her fingers. Rarity pointed to a corner of the room that was blocked off with a curtain. “If you’d like to try them on there's a changing room over there.” The curiosity was irresistible to Mirai. Even after years of gorey fighting and digging around in the guts of her various machines the idea of new clothes brought a smile to Mirai’s face as she hurried into the changing room. After all even with all of that she was still just a silly girl from Aran. Mirai shivered as she stepped out of the changing room, the new clothes while cut exactly like her old tunic felt so strange. They were cool to the touch and gave her goosebumps in the places where they contacted her skin. “What is this?” She asked while rubbing one of the sleeves. Rarity smiled, “Oh, just some silk darling, I thought you might appreciate the texture more than most ponies. It is just so difficult to make things that just feel good to wear when you have a marvelous coat of fur.” Mirai nodded. “Well, I can definitely see this being very popular back home,” she said with a grin. “Wonderful!” It's just such an under appreciated fabric, it will be good to see it be properly utilized.” Rarity’s horn lit up again and her belt, boots and armor floated up from her back room. “Here are the rest of your items darling.” Mirai rolled her eyes at the gold in Rarity’s before quickly donning the rest of her things. The armor sadly still having a hole punched through it. In her belt she found some of her mana batteries still intact but more than a few squashed or damaged. Her dagger was also missing but her cannon was in its holster with a few new dings and scratches. Mirai turned towards the door after stuffing her old clothes in her pack. “Thanks for the new clothes Rarity and sorry about earlier.” Rarity laughed nervously at the reminder. “Oh it’s no problem I should have been a bit more sensitive.” Mirai nodded and stepped out into the afternoon sun, still holding the door open with one hand and waving with the other. “Goodbye Rarity, goodbye Spike.” They both waved in return with Spike shouting “Bye!” Mirai let the door close and headed back out into the town. With that little errand done she could focus on the next thing, she wasn't entirely sure what that next thing was but she could always figure it out. A long stretch of road with an old wooden fence marked the borders of Mirai’s next destination. With the only other objective she could think of being hitting the books and trying to develop the inter-realm travel spell she would eventually need she thought it would probably be best if she got all of her current resourced organized and in one location... well except for her dagger, that was probably lost somewhere at that old ruin from the day before and she would have to make a special trip to get it. Unfortunately that meant the next thing she had to do was track down and try to get the little bastard under control. Thankfully she could sense the direction he was in if she bothered to pay enough attention to the miniscule drain on her mana pool. So finding him was as easy as using the drain like a compass that always pointed toward her target. As the little twinge that denoted location drifted off to the side of the road she knew she was close and hopped over the fence that surrounded Sweet Apple Acres. The immediate area on the other side looked exactly the same as the previous miles and miles of apple trees she had walked past so it was fairly straightforward to head deeper into to the property. When Mirai finally came upon her wayward familiar she couldn't decide if she was furious or about to burst out laughing. The entirety of the local Apple family was attempting to pull a much larger out of the ground with a rope that was lashed around the treant’s trunk. The large red pony Big Macintosh was harnessed to the rope via a yoke around his neck, next came the smaller Applejack who had her brother’s short tail in her teeth trying to help him pull. Finally the youngest Apple Applebloom had AJ’s tail in a similar situation, trying in vain to help. Old Granny Smith was also there shouting instructions or encouragement from the sidelines, also to no effect. When she had properly absorbed this image and made sure she was too angry to crack up the moment she started talking Mirai stepped forward. “!” She shouted angrily. “You leave those poor ponies alone!” Unfortunately her sudden appearance surprised Big Mac who slipped and lost his yoke sending the entire apple family careening into a heap. Granny Smith tried to hobble away but a flying Applebloom caught her in the back sending both ponies down to the ground. “Mah hip!” A snort managed to sneak past her guard before she could crack down on it and earned her a glare from the pile of ponies. AJ untangled herself and stomped up to Mirai who schooled her face as well as she was able. “Good, yer here!” She said poking Mirai in the chest. “This varment of yours has been giving us ah heck of ah lot of trouble since yesterday.” “Sorry.” Mirai squeaked, trying her best to stay angry. “I’ll get him out of your hair.” “Yeah ya better!” AJ huffed. Mirai stepped up to who was now nearly as tall as she was. She wondered where the jerk had found enough mana to grow so quickly, he sure hadn’t gotten it from her. “Come on, let’s go.” wiggled his leaves at her. Mirai frowned and crossed her arms. “Get your butt out of the ground before I turn you into firewood!” wiggled some more. Mirai had only just grabbed the handle of her cannon when he nearly leapt out of the ground. “That’s what I thought.” Mirai said jamming her weapon back into the holster. seemed to sulk as his limbs drooped and he followed Mirai over to the Apples. “I’m sorry about this.” Mirai said as she walked up to the Apples who had pulled themselves together and dusted themselves off. AJ patted a last bit of dust out of Appleblooms mane before nodding with a somewhat sour expression. “It’s fine, all's well that ends well.” Mirai winced as a violent shove from Big Mac popped Granny’s hip back into place. “Let me help you with that.” She said waving a hand. An invisible spell had the entire family perk up as a healing aura washed over them. Granny wiggled a bit before trotting a few steps. A huge grin broke out on her face as she hopped up on her back legs and grabbed Mirai. “Ahm cured! Bless mah stars, yah dun cured mah bad hip!” “Uh... Your welcome?” Mirai said with an uneasy smile. When the ecstatic elder finally let her go Mirai was more than ready to head back and start studying. “Well, that was a mighty kindness ya did us.” AJ said, following along as Mirai headed back towards the edge of the property, her expression now far more welcoming. “More an makes up fer yer pet tree bein a pain.” Mirai shrugged. “That was a pretty basic spell. If you ever need some healing magic just find me around and I can probably cure just about anything.” “Ah’ll be sure ta do that.” Applejack said, tipping her hat in thanks. Mirai had just about thrown a leg over the fence when she froze. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed something missing from the scene. “Just a second.” She said and dashed back into the fields of trees, emerging a few minutes later dragging by a root. “Well, I’ll see you later Applejack.” Mirai said, roughly tossing over the fence. “Ah’ll seeya around.” AJ called waving her hat as Mirai vanished back down the road. Mirai huffed as she finally opened the door to Twilight’s library, safely planted in the yard and cut off from her mana to prevent him from moving. The day had been pretty tiring and the prospect of some nice relaxing reading really sounded good. She trudged in and started checking the shelves opposite of Twilight who had a sizable stack of read books next to her. “Hello Mirai.” Twilight said as she turned a page. “You look like you had a busy day.” “Hmm.” Mirai hummed tiredly as she browsed the shelves, checking over the various titles and looking for a good place to start. She finally found a book for beginners that looked like it might contain what she needed so she pulled it from the shelves and sat down. Her hand was just starting to open the cover when the door burst open to reveal the living headache that was Pinkie Pie. “HI!” Pinkie shouted, somehow appearing from below the book in her hands, leaving it balanced in her poofy hair like some kind of strange hat. Mirai reeled back but Pinkie kept her pace, remaining almost nose to nose with the elf as she frantically scooted backwards. “Icametotellyousomethingsupersuperimportantbecauseyounevercametoseemetodayandwhenyoudidn’tcometoseemeIthoughtIwouldcomeseeyousoIcouldtellyoutheveryveryimportantthingIwantedtotellyou!” “W-what?” Mirai stuttered, a nervous almost fearful expression on her face. Pinkie took a deep breath to answer but before she could begin a lavender glow surrounded her and floated her over to Twilight’s side of the room. “Give her a little space Pinkie, you were making her nervous.” Twilight said as Pinkie floated upside down in her magical grip. “Woops silly me!” Pinkie replied as Twilight’s magic faded and she was returned to the ground. Mirai calmed her breathing and motioned for Pinkie to continue. Pinkie bounced on her hooves and her huge grin somehow grew wider. “I came to invite you to a PARTY!!!” Mirai blinked vacantly and glanced to Twilight who shrugged. “What kind of party?” Mirai asked hesitantly. The idea of wasting even more of her precious time already making her nauseous. Pinkie’s bouncing increased in tempo. “Ialreadythrewyouawelcomepartybutthisisa THANK YOU PARTY! I came to invite you and your friend !” Mirai frowned, why would anyone invite a treant to a party? Pinkie giggled, “Oh my gosh, saying his name is so much fun! !” Mirai took a few steps back in fear until she felt the bookshelves stop her. Twilight also looked nervous as Pinkie’s voice began to freak out. “Le>af!” “Pinkie!” Twilight shouted before diving behind her couch, the fear of Pinkie spontaneously exploding getting the better of her. A moment later Mirai joined her, skirting around the edge of Pinkie’s spasm and crawling behind the sheltering cushions. “>bLe >*##T#w$>>%IG <” The two of them peaked out as Pinkie seemed to have some kind of seizure, her voice coming out all kinds of disturbing and unnatural. Some of it was so beyond the realm of mortal understanding Mirai could feel her eardrums threaten to start bleeding. The pair hiding behind the couch ducked down waiting for the inevitable detonation. A sudden and eerie silence fell over the library as the horrible voice stopped. Mirai shot Twilight a look and together they peeked out from behind the couch, expecting the worst. Pinkie Pie awaited them, standing perfectly still and staring back. Her forehoof twitched before rising upward sending Twilight and Mirai ducking back behind the couch for safety but the only thing that happened was a dainty “*ahem*”. “Aaaanyway... Partytomorrowatsugarcubecorner!” Pinkie darted out of the library, slamming the door after her. The two embattled survivors crawled out from behind the couch, Mirai collapsing tiredly on the floor. “Raincheck?”